The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-29
HE CLAIMS AN HEIRESS.
FRANCIS HIGGINS SAYS MISS
ALEXANDER IS HIS WIFE.

He Is Nurse in @ Hospital Which She
Visited She Seys She Never Saw
Him Before But Received Many
Letters From Him.
From the New York World.
Miss Anna Alexander, young heiress OF
No "a Prospect place, Brooklyn, entered
Justice Kenna's court Monday to prosecute
Francis Higgins a nurse at the Flatbush
Hospital, who claimed to be her husband.
Miss Alexander swore that Higgins was not
her husband, that she had never seen him
before, that he had entered her house Satur-
day and struck her. Higgins did not deny
the charge, but persisted that he was welded
to Miss Alexander. He was sent to Jail and
will be examined to-day.
Miss Alexander is an orphan, her father,
who was the senior member of the firm OF
Alexander g. Ellis, lumber dealers, of No.
AIS Flushing avenue, having died year
ago. She alone inherits her fathers large
fortune and lives in the magnificent house
on Prospect Place he occupied during ms
life. She rents the house furnished and
boards there. A little over a year ago her
father, who was an invalid, decided that he
would be benefited by entering St. Mary's
Hospital He went there and his daughter
called to see him daily. He realized that he
could not live and was taken home to die.
Soon after his death Miss Alexander re-
ceived a love letter, viii h was signed
''Francis Higgins" As she did not know
the writer she paid no attention to the
epistle. A few days later she received an
other from Higgins, who then addressed her
as his wife, and said he would soon call and
claim her. She turned the letter over to
Mr. Ellis. formerly her fathers part
ner. Other letters arrived, and to avoid
scandal Miss Alexander went to Europe,
hoping to escape her unknown admirer
She had no idea who Higgins was, but on
her return to Brooklyn sue found that he
had watched her movements. He again
sent her letters and addressed her as his wife.
He called at her house several times, but she
was always out
His visits became so annoying that it was
decided to lay trap for him He called at
| the house Saturday morning and asked for
| Miss Alexander. He was told she was not
| in, and was requested to call again at 2
| O'Clock. He said he would do SO, and
preparation was made to receive him.
Special Officer O'Donnell was secreted in
| the back parlor. When the doorbell was
rung and Higgins ushered in, he asked for
Miss Alexander, and she appeared.
Come, my darling wife," cried Higgins
take you with me-"
"What do you mean, sirf' demanded the
lady.
''Why, my dear, thought you would
welcome me" he replied.
II don't know you," Miss Alexander
answered, and Officer O'Donnel collared
the man. Higgins was indignant and said
he was talking TO his wife, buthe was taken
to the Twelfth precinct station and locked
up. He had, it is said, put his hand on the
young lady's shoulder. Higgins told Capt.
Folk that he was married TO Miss Alexan-
| der and said he could prove so by Rev.
Father Sheehy, of St Ambroses church, at
| De Kalb and Tompkins avenues. Miss
| Alexander said she had never heard of the
priest before, and that she, being Protes-
| taut, would 1 OF have been married by
priest She further said she had no recol-
lection of ever having met Higgins, al
though she thought his face was familiar.
| Las0 evening, after thinking over the
matter for twenty-four hours Miss Alexan-
der remembered that when she was waiting
| gins was nurse there. The ladyis friends
say that after Mr.. Alexander died the
daughter was in the habit of visiting the
/ hospital to cheer the sick. She bestowed
charity on both the patients and the nurses,
and probably Higgins was the recipient of
| her favors
Until last night Higgins still insisted that
| Miss Alexander was his wife, but then he
| said he might possibly be mistaken, as her
| face did not look exactly like that of the
woman he married. Capt. Folk said he
| thought Higgins was insane, but at the
Kings County Hospital it was said that he
was perfectly sane and a good nurse. Sat
urday was his day off, and when he left the
hospital he was quite rational